Baylor Signs New Agreement With Texas State Technical College to Strengthen Research Environment

In an effort to provide a unique "one stop shop" for potential industries, Baylor University and Technical State Technical College Waco have signed an agreement that makes TSTC one of the primary partners of the newly-created Baylor Advanced Research Institute, or BARI.

The BARI attempts to bridge the gap between discoveries in Baylor's research laboratories and their practical application in industry. The new agreement makes the BARI more attractive to industry through TSTC's ability to provide technical training, assistance and a technical workforce to any new or emerging industry in Texas that is a "client" of the BARI.

"One of the primary goals of our 2012 Vision is to expand opportunities for our faculty to conduct federal, state and industry funded research," said Baylor President John M. Lilley. "In addition to the discovery of new knowledge, this work will provide our students real-world research experience using cutting-edge technology. Our partnership with TSTC will advance our goals in the area of faculty research and enhance the attractiveness of the BARI to industry."

"We are very pleased to be working in partnership with Baylor and the BARI," said TSTC President Elton E. Stuckly Jr. "Not only is the BARI an excellent educational tool for students, it could be a significant boost to the Texas economy by shortening the time it takes to get new, innovative ideas out to industry in a practical manner."

Administrators point out that as the BARI grows more attractive through agreements such as this, the greater Waco economy also could greatly benefit. Strengthened by this new agreement with TSTC to provide technical support, the BARI could attract more high-tech higher-paying industries to the area, ultimately increasing the average wage amount of the Waco-area workforce.

"One of the first things the CEO of a company thinking about relocating to the region will want to know is who can provide them with research and development support and where they can hire a trained workforce," said Dr. Truell Hyde, vice provost for research at Baylor. "City officials can now can point to the BARI and this new agreement with TSTC and have a strong answer for them."

Hyde said the BARI will continue to pursue agreements with other universities, agencies and alumni businesses to increase the attractiveness of BARI to potential industries.